


Perfect Reflection

by silveryink



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s06e03 The Curse of the Black Spot, F/M, Post-Episode AU: s04e13 Journey's End, Reunions, Romance, Telepathic Bond, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-24 08:57:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15627249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silveryink/pseuds/silveryink
Summary: After all the years Rose Tyler spent on the parallel world, she might have a way to return...





	Perfect Reflection

The mist was thick around the ship, which had been stationary for three days. Captain Henry Avery wondered how much longer they would remain so, for they were running out of food and their ship had been becalmed right where the siren had last been seen. What were once fantastical rumors had turned into the captain’s nightmare, killing most of his men.

He turned around when he heard the sound of his crew mates hammering at his cabin door. He strode over and pulled the door open, knowing better than to hope for the best.

“He slipped in the bilge water, Cap'n, and fell on to the rigger.” The boatswain paused, before adding, “his hand – I don't know if he'll survive.”

Henry barely spared a glance at the other man’s bleeding hand, more interested in the palm of the other. “You’re a dead man, McGrath, same as all the others,” he said gravely, turning it over to see a black spot, which at first glance would have seemed like an ink blot of some sort – but he knew better.

Above them, a woman’s voice began to sing, a haunting melody that the sailors had come to dread over the three days they’d been becalmed.

“She’s here,” he said.

“Oh, save our souls,” the boatswain moaned softly.

McGrath shuddered. “I’ve got to escape!”

“Don’t go out there, McGrath, don’t listen, for God’s sake. The siren is a-calling!”

Henry watched motionlessly as the marked man grabbed a gun and stumbled out onto the deck. Then, as the door swung shut behind him, he pulled out the key and locked them inside, wrapping his medallion around the handle. For a few moments, only the song and McGrath’s footsteps were heard, but even those stopped as he succumbed to the siren’s call with a scream.

...

Rose Tyler had had enough of heartbreak and waiting around. Her Doctor had encouraged her to continue the research with the Dimension Cannon, though she knew better than anyone else that the chances of her getting to the prime universe were next to none. Still, she clung to the hope that she would one day return to where she belonged, even when everyone around her could not support her.

She worked day and night in the TARDIS, adjusting the ship’s controls to move not only across time and space, but also across universes. The ship hummed when she ran the scans for a wide enough gap.

Rose felt that she could not wait any longer, and she drummed her fingers impatiently on the console. Time seemed to pass agonizingly slowly. The scanner beeped and Rose pulled the monitor towards her, going through the results. Her stomach twisted when she got through to the end.

Of course, there was a gap to the prime universe, but it wasn’t big enough for both her and the TARDIS.

“I can’t leave you here, Old Girl,” she muttered. “You’ve been with me for so long.”

The TARDIS chimed, highlighting a paragraph in the scan results.

_Merging the cores…_ Rose frowned. “Is that even possible?”

Another chime. _I hope you’re right, Old Girl,_ Rose thought, and reached out for the heart of the sentient time ship.

...

“How did she get in?” Captain Avery asked.

“Bilge water. She's using water like a portal, a door. She can materialise through a single drop,” The Doctor explained. “We need to go somewhere with no water.”

“Well, thank God we're not in the middle of the ocean,” Amy muttered.

“Did you see her eyes? Like crystal pools,” Rory piped in.

Amy held up a hand. “You are in enough trouble.”

“The magazine,” Avery remembered.

“What?”

“He means the armoury where the powder's stored.”

“It's dry as a bone.”

“Good. Let's go there.”

“I give the orders,” Avery growled.

The Doctor tamped down on his irritation. He tried to cover it up with a flippant remark, like he normally did in this form. “Ah. Worried because I'm wearing a hat now? Nobody touch anything sharp!”

“Come on, Rory.” Amy pulled her husband towards them.

“Quickly, man,” Avery snapped at the other man, the boatswain, the Doctor thought he was called, who was shuffling through his ring of keys. Why was it always a _ring_ of keys, the Doctor mused distractedly.

“I can't find the key. ‘Tis gone, Cap'n.”

“How can it have gone?”

The Doctor noticed a small crack of light and pushed the door lightly. It swung open easily, leaving the men speechless. His voice was soft as he voiced the thought in all their minds. “Someone else had the same idea.”

...

Rose felt a warm consciousness in her mind, bright and golden, as she had for the last fifty years – and once before that too, she now remembered, as she merged her consciousness with that of the TARDIS once more. She figured her altered physiology should be able to stand the Time Vortex now.

She finally remembered everything that had transpired all those years ago on the Game Station, the day she’d changed, and the day her Doctor had changed too – changed for her, as she had done for him.

_Took him long enough to notice, don’t you think, Dear?_  Rose asked the TARDIS, even as she channeled the power of the Time Vortex to the Dimension Hopper for a single trip. She knew that it would only last for one trip, and dissolve immediately after. The TARDIS matrix, on the other hand…

Rose knew what to do. She turned around to look at the familiar doors one last time. Tears streamed from her eyes, even as gold light poured into them. Taking in a deep breath, she directed all her willpower into sending the power of the Vortex into the hopper she held in her hand. She pressed the large, smooth plastic button – and was gone, falling through the vortex with incredible precision, with the TARDIS matrix protecting her as the Void tried to pull her in.

...

“Where are we?” Amy got up slowly, taking in her new surroundings.

“We haven't moved. We're in exactly the same place as before,” the Doctor said.

The two – no, three, for Captain Avery had woken as well – of them stared out through a window onto the deck of the very ship they’d been on just moments (had it been moments?) ago.

“We're on a ghost ship.”

“No. It's real. Space ship trapped in a temporal rift.” The Doctor frowned. “Still, there’s something about this place…”

“How can two ships be in the same place?”

“Not the same. Two planes, two worlds, two cars parked in the same space. There are lots of different universes nested inside each other. Now and again they collide, and you can step from one to the other.” The explanation seemed important. Why did it seem important? The Doctor’s mind was reeling. Finally, he located the source of the odd presence in his mind. Well, the feeling itself wasn't odd, but the presence was intriguing.

Somewhere on this ship, there was another telepath.

“Okay, I think I understand.”

“Good, because it's not like that at all. But if that helps. I mean. It’s a very vague sort of comparison. It’s much more complex than that. Such overlapping of universes only happens for a short while, then they separate again after a bit.”  The Doctor tried to follow the telepathic trace, reaching out towards the other presence cautiously.

“Thanks.”

“All the reflections have suddenly become gateways,” the Doctor said. “Ever look in a mirror and think you're seeing a whole other world? Well, this time it's not an illusion.”

He picked up a piece of metal and flung it at the glass. It flew through it and landed on the deck of the ship, the glass rippling like the surface of a lake as it passed through.

…

The Doctor tuned out most of the conversation between Avery and Amy. He was worried about the other telepath, whose signature was somehow very familiar to him. He turned around the corner into a room filled with beds.

An infirmary, he realised. The presence was stronger here, he noticed, and reinforced by-

“The TARDIS!” he cried, and ran to the ship. She urged him to go to the other telepathic presence, but before the Doctor could respond, he heard a voice, right next to his beloved time ship. The Doctor’s hearts skipped a beat as he a woman stepped out into full view in front of him, eyes bright and... glinting gold?

“My Doctor,” Rose said through a watery smile.

“How?” he asked weakly. He took Rose Tyler’s hand, and reached for her. His hand brushed against the ring on her finger, the one she had worn since the day they had said their vows under the stars. The light that had shone down on them that day was bright gold, like Rose’s eyes were right now.

“Bad Wolf.” He whispered, as the pieces clicked together. It explained why the TARDIS had been unwilling to leave, at the very least.

“I told you I would find a way back,” she said simply.

“And the other Doctor?”

Her expression turned melancholy. “He gave me his forever, but I couldn’t give him mine.”

Before the Doctor could process the implications of that statement, he heard Amy calling for him. Still holding Rose’s hand, he moved over to Amy’s side, glancing down at the immobile figure on the bed. He scanned Rory with the sonic screwdriver, before a thought struck him like a bolt of lightning.

Hang on, Rose was _telepathic?_

The Doctor decided that it was a conversation for later, reminding himself that Rory still lay unconscious in front of them.

 “She's keeping him alive. His brain is still active, but all its cellular activity is suspended. It's not a curse, it's a tissue sample. Why get samples of people you are about to kill?” He wondered aloud.

“Help me get him up,” Amy muttered, as Rory stirred uncomfortably.

The Doctor started as he heard a small hiss. “She’s coming,” he whispered and ducked out of view. The siren had started to sing to Rory, who calmed down again. “Amy, this is Rose Tyler. Rose, this is Amelia Pond. That man on the bed there-“

“I saw her bring him in, he seemed to be choking on something,” Rose remembered.

“That’s Rory Williams. Rory Pond. However the two of you worked it out. Anyway, that’s Amy’s husband. He’s a nurse.”

“Nice to meet you, Amy,” Rose whispered. “It’s good to know that the Doctor’s still making friends.”

“Oh, is that what he’s doing? I guess it’s nice to meet you too,” Amy said with a frown.

“Did he not mention me to you?”

“Might have, actually, but it must’ve slipped my mind. I’ve not been my best these last few days,” she whispered.

“I definitely did mention you on many occasions, Rose Tyler.” A swift movement caught his attention. The Doctor heard a click as Captain Avery lifted his pistol, balancing it with his left hand.

“Captain, no!”

Avery fired at the siren. The Doctor took a step forward and the siren hissed, turning flaming red at the sight of the intruders. The bullet passed through harmlessly, clanging on the opposite wall. The Doctor stared at the siren, who was slowly advancing on him. There was a small noise as Amy tried to get Rory off the bed, and the siren hissed turned to her instead. The Doctor decided to take care of Avery later.

“Okay, so what are you? You take tissue samples of the weak or wounded, and bring them to this room, behind screens, and do what? You don’t exactly kill them, just keep them… Oh.”

“Oh what?” Amy asked impatiently, not stepping away from the bed. “I’d like to get to my husband, if you don’t mind, Doctor.”

But Rose had caught on as well. Fifty years of travel in time and space had taught her quite a lot, and some things stayed the same even across an entire universe.

“Amy,” she said gently, “She’s not a killer at all. She’s a doctor.”

This was enough to startle her, and Amy moved away from the bed immediately. The siren stopped, turning green again and assuming a calm air.

“This is an automated sick bay. It's teleporting everyone on board. Everyone on here is dead, and so the sick bay has had nothing to do. It's been looking after humanity whilst it's been idle. Look at her. A virtual doctor able to sterilise a whole room.”

“Able to burn your face off,” Amy muttered resentfully.

“Oh but she’s just an interface,” Rose said earnestly. “She seeped through the planes, which was how I managed to get through in the first place, and broadcast in our world.”

“Protean circuitry means that she can change her form, and become a human doctor-”

“A human- _looking_ doctor,” Rose corrected.

“Right, a human looking doctor for humans. Oh, that _is_ good!”

“But she won’t let us take them,” Amy half whispered.

“She’s got them stabilized, but doesn’t know what to do with them.”

“Mind, when I got here, she didn’t know what to do with me either, until she saw that I was all right, just a bit tired.”

“I never asked, how did you get here?”

“Er, maybe that discussion can wait?”

“Thank you,” Amy muttered. “So she can’t heal them, but I’m his wife, for God’s sake. Why can’t I touch him?”

“’Cause you haven’t asked her for permission,” Rose reasoned. “Go on, tell her that you’re his wife. Show her your ring, it’s proof enough for most cultures.”

Amy nodded and showed her the ring on her finger. The siren tilted her head, looking mildly curious. “Look, he's very ill, okay? I just want to look after him. Why won't you let me near my husband?” 

The siren didn’t reply, but held out her hand. A glowing circle appeared around it.

“What’s that?”

“A consent form,” Rose said. “Put your hand through, it’s like signing it. You’ll be taking full responsibility of Rory.”

Amy extended her hand, holding it above that of the siren’s. The circle disappeared, and the siren faded out peacefully. Amy promptly flicked a switch, presumably that of the life support, and Rory seized up immediately, unable to draw in a breath. Rose slammed her hand back on the switch, and he relaxed.

“He can’t breathe,” The Doctor muttered.

“What do we do? I can’t just leave him here.”

Avery, who’d come up behind them, spoke up at this point. “He’ll die if he’s taken out.”

“What happened to him?” Rose asked as Amy tried to wake him gently.

The Doctor stepped out of earshot and started to explain to Rose, as concisely as possible, what had transpired on the ship, when she raised a hand. “Doctor, we don’t have time.”

“I know, but there is a way I can share the information with you.”

“What is it?”

“I could form a link with you, a temporary telepathic link. You are somehow telepathically compatible with me now, so you and I can share our memories over the link. The entire process would take seconds.”

“The process of creating the link or sharing the memories?”

“Both. But, Rose, I know how much you don’t like telepathy…”

“No, Doctor, I don’t like it when it’s used on me without my knowledge,” she corrected him. “I trust you.”

He nodded and raised his hands to her temples. She instinctively did the same, following his example and overall behaving like a natural telepath.

_Rose, it’s like you were born telepathic._

_I think it’s because of Bad Wolf._

Of course it would be. The Doctor led his mind into hers, and she led hers into his, forming the link. The two of them exchanged their memories, which flooded over the other in rapid flashes. The Doctor removed his hands from her temples, and frowned when he still felt the connection in his mind.

He supposed it would take a while for it to dissolve slowly and naturally. After all, it had been ages since he’d had to deal with telepathy, apart from the TARDIS.

“You’re right, Rose, these changes are because of Bad Wolf, but not from the first time round. They happened when you returned from the parallel universe.”

To his surprise, her eyes filled with tears. “Yeah, but that’s only the telepathy, Doctor,” she said in a shaky voice, but before he could reply Avery called them over. Knowing that Rose needed a moment to compose herself, the Doctor struck up a small conversation with Avery, informing him that his son was suffering from typhoid fever, and laying out the man’s options before him.

When he felt Rose’s emotions settle, he glanced up at her. She was talking to Amy and Rory, her brows slashing a frown across her face. “All the same, we need to get this ship into deep space. I mean, imagine if she got ashore, that would be terrifying for everyone.”

Rory nodded as the Doctor walked over and squeezed his shoulder. Avery spoke up once more. “I could fly this ship. Stay with Toby. He’s not got a life back in jolly old England, not when his father is a wanted man.”

“Are you sure?”

“Just point me to the controls.”

The Doctor nodded.

“I know you’re going to do this, Amy. You won’t muck it up. Well, if you do, I’ll be very cross. And dead. Very cross, and very dead,” Rory said reassuringly.

Amy smiled gratefully through her tears. “Ready?” she asked, and when he nodded, Rose and the Doctor worked together, switching off the life support and pulling off the restraints. The Doctor then lent Amy a hand in carrying Rory back to the TARDIS, where he lay deathly still.

While Amy started to perform CPR on her husband, the Doctor decided that something was wrong with the bond, which was still not fading. He tested the strength of his barriers and started to panic. Connected as they were, Rose felt his rising discomfort. _What’s wrong?_

_I think-_

Their silent conversation was interrupted by Amy’s strangled sobs. Rose was on her knees next to the other woman immediately, comforting her and encouraging her to continue. Amy performed a few more rounds, before stopping to check for any response. When, even after a half minute, Rory remained still, she started to sob against Rose’s shoulder. Rose held Amy tightly, rubbing circles into her back. She knew that no words would be able to console her.

However, she felt her time senses tingle and saw a diverging timeline, one which started with her return to the prime universe, and leading into many points in the Doctor’s timeline, both in his past and his future. One thing, however, was clear to Rose, the two of them would not be losing companions or leaving them behind for a long time.

Rory coughed suddenly, only confirming Rose’s observations. Amy pulled away from her, and she sank back into the Doctor’s arms, which were already outstretched and waiting for her. They let the couple share a few moments together in peace while reveling in their own private moment.

_What’s on your mind, Doctor?_

_Oh, well, I… I think I might have done something wrong while creating our link…_

_Does this have something to do with it not fading?_

_That is the problem, actually._

_What did you do?_

_I think I created a permanent link, which is also called a bond._

_Oh._ Rose frowned up at him. _So what’s wrong?_

_The bond… it’s a marriage bond. We’d be completely open to each other. No barriers would shield each other from our thoughts._

Rose burst out laughing. Amy and Rory stared at them, but she didn’t care.  Oh, blimey, she thought.

_Doctor, are you saying that we got married? Again? And… by accident?_

The Doctor blinked, before he too started laughing. _Well, that is a funny way to put it, but seriously, we’d be open books to each other._

_Doctor, I’d love to share a bond with you, if you won’t mind it._

_Me? Rose, I thought you wouldn’t want-_

_Doctor._ Rose stopped him with a flood of memories about the metacrisis Doctor with whom she’d spent the last fifty years of their lives. It had been twenty years before they both realised she wasn’t ageing, and they’d tried to make the best of their time, while also working on a way to get back. He’d told her everything there was to know about the Time Lords, and what he suspected about her changed biology.

The TARDIS’ scanners had confirmed the rest.

_Don’t you see? I want this with you, Doctor. When I promised you forever I meant it. Especially if it’s longer than I thought._

The Doctor was stunned enough for him to be speechless, something that Rose realised was uncharacteristic even for this regeneration. She sighed and pulled him forward by the lapels of his tweed jacket, pressing her lips to his. He braced himself with one hand behind him, and held her closer with the other, running his fingers through her hair.

Amy cleared her throat behind them and they broke apart, blushing like guilty teenagers. “Well? Doctor? I know her name, but I don’t know anything else about Rose Tyler.” She turned to look at Rose. “Who are you?” she asked curiously.

Rose grinned up at the Doctor. “Oh, the Stuff of Legend.”


End file.
